Museo de Arte de Ponce
The superb exhibits at this world-class museum range from works by Goya, Rubens, Van Dyck, and Rodin to avant-garde Puerto Rican artists and span Western art from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The permanent collection comprises more than 4,500 paintings, sculptures, and works on paper. Much of it was amassed over four decades, beginning in the 1950s, by Don Luis A. Ferré, former governor and patron of the arts. The museum, which boasts 30 galleries, also features temporary exhibitions and works on loan. A two-year, multi-million-dollar renovation was completed in 2010, which doubled the capacity of the building.
2325 Boulevard Luis A. Ferré Aguayo • 787 840 1510 • Open 10am–5pm Mon & Wed–Sat, noon–5pm Sun • Adm $6 for adults; $3 for children (under 12 years), seniors and students • www.museoarteponce.org • Guided tours at 11am & 2pm daily (noon–5pm Sun) or by appointment
1. The Building
Completed in 1965, the Museo de Arte de Ponce is housed in a two-story modernist structure designed by Edward Durell Stone. It has hexagonal galleries with ceilings of hexagonal skylights.
2. Vestibule
The museum’s lobby features a glass entrance and a light-filled circular atrium. The upper level is accessed by two sweeping staircases.
3. Temporary Exhibits
The museum shows an active calendar of exhibitions featuring European Old Masters, Puerto Rican, and international contemporary art. These have included an exhibition on muralist Diego Rivera (1886–1957), as well as The Age of Rodin and The Santos Tradition in Puerto Rican, which displayed wooden saints (for further details see Orocovis) – the hallmark of Puerto Rican popular art.
4. The Pre-Raphaelites
The paintings in the Pre-Raphaelite gallery are superb examples of this British school. Among them are Edward Burne-Jones’s masterpiece, The Last Sleep of Arthur in Avalon, and works by Dante Gabriel Rossetti and John Everett Millais.
5. Flaming June
The museum’s sensual showpiece, Flaming June is Lord Frederic Leighton’s Classicist-inspired, Victorian-era masterpiece of a damsel in a flaming orange robe languorously basking in the Mediterranean sun.
6. Puerto Rican Art
Puerto Rico’s finest artists, such as José Campeche, Miguel Pou, and Francisco Oller, are well represented in works spanning the 18th century to the present day.
7. Italian Art
The Italian masters are found on the first and second floors of the main building. They focus on the Baroque period, with a fine collection of Florentine School pieces by Bernardo Strozzi, Francesco Furini, and Luca Giordano.
8. North American Art
Frederic Edwin Church’s Morning in the Tropics (1872) and The Glass Blowers (1883) by Charles Frederick Ulrich are highlights of this collection, which also includes pieces by George Inness.
9. Sculptures
Only a fraction of the museum’s 800-plus sculptures are currently displayed, including a magnificent collection of works by Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). His notable piece, Apollo Crushing the Serpent, was acquired by the museum in 1962.
10. Permanent Collection Storage Space
Situated in the annex, this storage space is open to the public by appointment. It offers visitors the opportunity to view artworks from the permanent collection that are not officially on display.
Edward Durell Stone
A renowned American architect, Stone (1902–78) was an early exponent of modernism and later of the post-modernist style. His first major commission was the lobby and grand ballroom of the Waldorf-Astoria hotel in New York City, where he also designed Radio City Music Hall and the Museum of Modern Art. Stone is also acclaimed for Washington, D.C.’s Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Tip: Kids in tow? Special family tours and workshops are held most Saturdays – these are a great way to foster art appreciation in children. Tip: No food or drink is allowed on the premises, but there is a restaurant (for further details see website for details).
